As I have watched, for years now, the Walking Dead series that is about to wrap up, there are times I wonder just how long individuals have been infatuated with movies, shows, or other forms of entertainment that leaves them uneasy and might just interrupt their sleep. 

 

I know it has been going on long before I came to this earth, and it has been going on long before television and radio came into the public realm. Stories by the campfire probably were common centuries ago, and today, you can turn any channel on and find something meant to churn your blood, such as the previously mentioned Walking Dead that has become a must watch for many.

 

While the “zombie” phenomenon might still be considered somewhat new or new to this generation, the fact that folks are infatuated with things that might scare them – monsters let’s call them – is far from new. And in this area and all throughout the tri-state area, folks in my generation and perhaps a generation prior have one man to thank for it – Bill Cardille.

 

You may remember him as Chilly Billy Cardille. Certainly, that’s the name I remember as we're just a few days away from Halloween, I thought it would be entirely appropriate to discuss a man who was such a large part of many of our lives growing up.

 

Long before humanity had the pleasure of watching the Kardashians and the Real Housewives – and if you can’t note the sarcasm there, my apologies – as part of television’s 100-plus channel lineup, the television knob pre-remote control days in my home started at around channel 2 and ended somewhere near 13. I believe it was on Channel 11, which was first WIIC and then I believe (and still is) WPXI out of Pittsburgh, Cardille had “Chiller Theatre” late into Saturday night and well into Sunday morning. It was there he became known as “Chilly Billy.”

 

For whatever reason, it was something big between my father and I. Many Saturdays he would ask me if I was ready to watch whatever was being featured from Frankenstein to the Creature from the Black Lagoon or whatever horror or science fiction flick was available and I would attempt to stay up. This was actually back when I could fall asleep and stay asleep.

 

For 20 years the show was on the air doing its best to frighten young and old alike. In fact, it lasted from 1963 up until 1983 and perhaps my biggest regret is falling asleep with several of my friends as part of a sleepover that included as its centerpiece staying up with chips and popcorn to watch the Japanese version of Godzilla vs. King Kong. To this day, even though it’s readily available, I’ve never watched the movie as sort of homage to a missed opportunity from my youth.

 

I digress.

 

When I first wrote about Cardille I think back in 2014, Cardille was still alive. It wasn't long after, on July 21, 2016, that he passed away at the age of 87 due to cancer.  He died knowing he was beloved, throughout the area and particularly in Pittsburgh. This blog originated after reading a story many years ago on the anniversary of “Bill Cardille Day” done by proclamation by the Pittsburgh City Council.

 

You know what; every day should be a Bill Cardille Day. He offered programming back in a much simpler time in a much gentler format in a genre that was meant to scare people. He did it all without profanity, without a steady diet of scantily clad women and men and without any of the non-reality that reality television offers us today.

 

Turns out after all these years, Bill Cardille, or Chilly Billy, was never someone to be afraid of. Rather, he was someone to look up to. Thanks Chilly Billy for all the memories that helped make my younger years special.

 

Editor’s Note: Please list any movies you may have remembered watching on his show in the comments section below..